Real Madrid News
Real Madrid ‘one step away’ from signing in-demand defender on a free transfer
Real Madrid are one step away from signing Chelsea defender Antonio Rudger on a free transfer, claims a report from English media outlet Sky Sports.
Rudiger, whose current Chelsea deal expires at the end of the season, is being monitored by some of the top European clubs, which potentially include Real’s La Liga rivals Barcelona as well as the Premier League giants Manchester United.
As for Real, they have been chasing the German for months but were forced to put off due to his exceeding salary demands. As things stand though, his agent has accepted to lower the number, and the new figures are very much within the team’s reach.
It is believed that Carlo Ancelotti admires Rudiger a lot. The manager, in fact, had a meeting with Florentino Perez last Friday to present where exactly the team needed reinforcements.
And one of the players, in that regard, he pointed out, was Antonio Rudiger. That because the defender is certain to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, meaning that the only fee Madrid will have to pay is the general operational costs, including the agent’s fee, and his salary.
The manager believes Rudiger’s arrival will ease Madrid’s defence to a great extent. Through this, he will be able to move David Alaba to the left-back spot so that he can act as a cover for the injury-prone Ferland Mendy and Marcelo.
At the same time, however, Real are aware of the interest he has generated through his situation at Chelsea. While the Blues are already pushing for him to sign a new deal, there is also interest from the likes of PSG and Juventus, which could rightly hinder Madrid’s pursuit.
But as quoted by Gianluca Di Marzio, the only reason why the player accepted to lower his salary was due to Real’s interest. If it was only for the wages, Manchester United made the biggest offer while PSG & Juventus were in line too.
The three teams, however, fell short of agreeing on a deal.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid the most likely destination for Kylian Mbappe with Liverpool not pushing for transfer
Journalist Florian Plettenberg has affirmed that despite Liverpool’s continued interest, Real Madrid remain the most realistic destination for Kylian Mbappe either for next year or the year after that.
As far as PSG are concerned, the Ligue 1 champions are totally relaxed over the drama as they are now financially secure for his possible departure. Nonetheless, Liverpool are not at all pushing for the player which leaves Real Madrid as the only team as suitors.
Mbappe has declined an extension offer from PSG, as his current deal is set to expire in 2024 and the 24-year-old forward seems poised to determine his future destination sooner rather than later.
As for Real Madrid, while they have denied holding any talks with the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, the interest in him has always been there as he remains one of the club’s main targets for 2024.
One last attempt for Mbappe?
Real Madrid have been chasing Mbappe since 2021 and while there have been instances when he almost joined, the move has always failed to materialise for some reason.
Last year, he ended up signing a new contract and this year, as he looked certain to leave PSG, a sudden change of heart saw him stay put. Now, there are going to be some repercussions of his continued ignorance.
These repercussions Mbappe will experience if rejects Madrid once again as it is said that the team from the Spanish capital is fed up with playing this game and if the move fails next summer, the door for Mbappe will be closed forever.
On the contrary, Plettenberg reports that it is not a matter of if for Mbappe, but a matter of when.
So even if they somehow miss out on his acquisition this summer, they will be able to sign him in 2025 as they are currently the only team running for his signature.
